Unity
by Narumo
Summary: She would stand up again, as she had always done, stronger, always stronger, because it was her children's will. A tribute to all the victims of the Chilean earthquake that stroke my country this past February.


Author's Notes: This was written as a tribute to all the victims of the Chilean earthquake that stroke my country this past February. My thanks to Jackidy for betaing this.

* * *

Unity

When she came to she was laying on the floor, her legs twitching still as the screams rung inside her skull. Her TV was laying on the ground, now silent, the program she had been seeing only just over before it came. She limped outside, barely remembering to put on her boots as she tried to not crash into her couch, disappearing down the darkened streets of her capital. Her people were crying, other nations' children cowering under the destruction they didn't understand. She didn't stop her mind too numb to process it all.

_She needed to find her sister. She needed to find her family. _

The paths to the south were destroyed, no lights to guide her way as she walked, a ghost amidst the destruction. Her phone, forgotten at her house, wouldn't have served her any better. When she finally arrived the community was crying; one of them had been lost to the catastrophe. Her sister laid limp on a cot in one of the elder's hut, body shaking with each tremor. The woman was glad that they recognized her enough to allow her to take her away, to take her back to the capital.

Her sister would had never allowed her if she had been awake to stop her.

Her president was not there when she arrived back to the capital carrying her sibling's body like a broken porcelain doll and none answered her questions about her brothers and sisters at the sea. No information, no news, their fate completely unknown both to her and her people at the mainland. Her orders for a plane were ignored and she left before they could stop her.

If she couldn't get to her siblings then she would help her children.

The coast was in ruins, unrecognisable even to her eyes, much as it had been years previous. She did what she could, for days wandering to each small town until she collapsed somewhere deep into the south. Teresa told her later that they couldn't find her in four days. Her boss ordered her to rest but she refused to, leaving a few hours later to return to the south, to Concepción, to Pedro de la Paz, to every little town she could find in her path to find the crying voices in her head.

_Why, oh, why hasn't the warning given? Why was the alert called down?_

Her sister joined her later, she wasn't even sure when, and together they dug until their hands were raw and their blood joined their people's. Alfonso was too injured to help his children, but Ignacio was already there, Alicia checking the smaller islands. Her president was only able to force them to rest when they found the last body in the collapsed building. Luis would inform her later that they had gone to help her, but she didn't remember seeing them.

She didn't remember seeing anything but the dead bodies of her children lying at her schools' gyms and cities' morgues.

Her mind was too full of riots, of hunger and pain to remember, to think. Her heart was heavy with grief at the greed of human beings. Relief was few and hard to find, only the rescue of her lost children bringing comfort to her broken soul. The need to go, to dig, to simply tear herself in half was almost strong enough to overpower her, but she endure, her people endured it.

_How could she do anything less? How could she not do what they asked of her? What they demanded?_

The Europeans were surprised by how few had died (_too many, far too many_), while Honda had watching with understanding eyes their frantic search. Jones had for once been silent, helpful in his short visit, promising them help. Manuel was the only one who saw them cry, at least consciously. She wasn't quite sure she was conscious of herself until that Thursday.

_Why? Why didn't they ask for it sooner? Why did they have to let pride and fear get in the way of helping to save lives?_

The pride she felt while she watched her former and new president while other presidents and leaders of the world run was her last memory of that ceremony, body and mind too spent for anything else.

Her new president first order was for her to leave him take care of her, of the country and the people, for her to leave everything in his hands and for her to trust him with herself. After a moment of hesitation she did, warning him that she would be watching, watching like she had watched the years pass and the world age.

_It would be his one and only chance._

Peace come slowly, often shattered by the smallest of tremors and the terror that came with them. Her people rallied together to help each other, trying to put a brave face for themselves and the rest of the world. A world that she feared would lose interest in her too soon, too distracted by the next tragedy to realize their struggle. Even now she could feel their interest fading, their eyes not seeing the destruction in favour of commenting the low death tally or more interested in the latest disaster.

But the crying was there, in her mind, in her heart, remaining her of the ones that were still lost, of the ones that now found themselves with nothing, not even a scrap of food. The pain was raw, like someone had poured salt over an open wound, and she knew the grief would be slow to pass. Pass until the next one stroke her, without warning, without the smallest sign, but as terrible as the last one.

And she would stand up again, as she had always done, stronger, always stronger, because it was her children's will. Slowly, surely, as the changing seasons, she will take her place back, only a few scars visible, and a sea of pain underneath. It is that sole reason though that consoles her as her children's cries fill her again when the earth reminded them of her present and power.

* * *

Author's Notes: The earthquake hit Chile shortly after the Festival de Viña was over for the night. This was given as one of the reasons why more people didn't die as not only the stage suffered damage but many would have died during the probable stampede to exit the Quinta Vergara. As it was, many died or were injured at discos or camping spots near beaches or river as this was the last weekend before the scholar year started.

Communications were completely lost and it took weeks for it to return to some places in the south. Many highways were destroyed and gas was scarce due both to panic and loss of electricity which powered the gas stations. Water service was lost and even in the some parts of the capital was only re-established two to three weeks after the earthquake (if the house was standing). Many houses were destroyed and people are afraid to live in buildings, yet the government is hiding much of the damage in Santiago to the local and international public. Most of the historic building, specially churches, were destroyed or damaged beyond repair.

Many of the elderly deaths was due to heart attacks, including a famous mapuche spokeswoman. Many walls collapsed burring people inside their houses. There is an on-going trail to establish the responsibility of calling off the Tsunami warning which changed the coast topography (aparently the earquake was not only strange but went undetected at one point in the sea). There were no news of Isla Juan Fernandez for most of the first day and it was only due to a _twelve year old girl_ that many were able to run when the Tsunami hit the island.

Not only international help was refused at first but it was later ill organized, to the point that voluntary foreign medics were unable to threat people because they didn't had _proper permission_. And due to government's fear of the military, their sorely needed presence was held back until the situation deteriorated heavily. Admittedly, national pride played a part too.

One of the many aftershock come during the ceremony in which the first president of the RN took the control of the country. It was well received that both Bachelet and Piñera stood their ground while other dignitaries fled the country as soon as the ceremony was over, some not even waiting for that. It is said that this is the only chance the right wing will have of governing the country due to coup d'état during the 73 by the military against the left wing and president Allende. USA involvement in this event is also the reason while many Chilean are very weary of the country.

It is also felt that due to the comparatively small number that died in Chile that international help will quickly fade out. That Chile is a relatively wealthy country and not as emotional shocking as, for example, Haiti, doesn't help.

Characers:

Carmen: Main POV, sort of the North of Chile and the one who mainly deals with the modern world.

Miriam: Unnamed sister, sort of the South of Chile. She acts more like the Native tan and every so often cause trouble for her sister (look the Arauco War up and you will know what I mean).

Alfonso: Isla Juan Fernandez

Alicia: Chiloé, the big island down south.

Ignacio: Eastern Island

Teresa: Venenzuela, appears in Freude, schöner Götterfunken.

Luis: Argentina

Manuel: One of the nation tans of Brazil.


End file.
